Woodlands Academy Celebrates Women in the Arts

Woodlands Academy invites the public to its Women in the Arts exhibit and two artists' presentations in March.

Woodlands Academy invites the public to its Women in the Arts exhibit and two artists' presentations in March. (Posted By ANNE O'CONNELL, Community Contributor)

ANNE O'CONNELL, Community Contributor

Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart invites the community to “Celebrate Women in the Arts” by viewing an exhibition and coming to two complimentary presentations by the artists in March.

“Established in 2005 by parents of the school, this program introduces Woodlands students to two practicing women artists, provides a lecture about the work these artists create, and offers the type of interaction between artist and student that is one of the hallmarks of a Sacred Heart education,” said Head of School Gerald Grossman.

This year, Woodlands welcomes Juliane von Kunhardt and Gayle Stevens whose work will be on exhibition March 1 – 22 at Woodlands Academy, 760 E. Westleigh Road, Lake Forest.In addition, the community is invited to meet the artists who will each give a presentation and discussion; the first will take place at 11:30 a.m. March 13 with von Kunhardt. The next will take place at 11:30 a.m. March 20 with Stevens.

Woodlands Academy Fine Arts Department Chair Catherine DeVuono explained, “This is a great opportunity for the community, as well as our students, to meet the artists. This program provides first-hand experience that you might not otherwise get with very high-caliber artists.”

Juliane von Kunhardt studied Fine Arts at the “Academia di Belli Arti” in Urbino/ Italy and the “University of Passau” in Bavaria/ Germany followed by a Master of Arts at the “University of Applied Sciences” in Münster/ Germany. In her own voice, she writes: "I have been working on different subjects since with a focus on portraits, paintings and prints. As our compound in Germany has been surrounded by different animals they have become my latest passion. I recently focused on a theme that presumably “won’t make it into one’s living room” (according to my daughter’s prediction). Nevertheless I chose to pick that topic to make us think rather than to be considered pleasant art. If I am able to brisk up just one of my visitors just the way I feel since I read the book “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Foer, I am more than grateful.”

Gayle Stevens has worked in antiquarian processes for more than 15 years. Her chosen medium is wet plate collodion for its fluidity and individuality; she especially delights in the flaws. Using modified Holgas and cameraless photography; she produces small wet plate tintypes. She exhibits extensively across the United States. Stevens received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999. Stevens, named one of the Critical Mass Top Fifty Photographers for 2010; received second place in the Lens Culture International Exposure Awards in 2011. Stevens has been featured in Fraction , Square, Shots , Diffusion and Fuzion magazines. A member of the When Pigs Fly photo collective, she divides her time shooting in Pass Christian Mississippi and Downers Grove, Ill. where she currently resides. Stevens is represented by Tilt Gallery in Phoenix Arizona.

Seating for the two presentations is limited. To make a reservation or for more information, call 847.234.4300.

Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is an independent, Catholic day and boarding college preparatory school for young women in grades 9-12 located in Lake Forest. Local students’ hometowns are throughout Lake and Cook counties.